1001 Remnant Nights
by BestJess
Summary: This will be my collection of mini-fics, one-shots and stories too short to publish on their own. Topics and tones will vary widely and the rating may change in future. I hope to upload relatively often and of course feedback is appreciated. If your sitting comfortably, let me begin.
1. A Grimm Incident

RWBY Grimm Short Story

[Events take place during V1Ch13/14: Forever Fall 1&2]

As Jaune rustled through the underbrush to get to the tree from which he needed to collect some red sap he stumbled across something unexpected. At first he thought it was some tiny Grimm. It had all the colourings of the Grimm but upon closer inspection it appeared to be more like a plant. A plant the size of a fist with ugly Grimm like markings all over it. Just as he bent down to get a closer look at the plant and tried to remember if he should have heard about it in one of the many classes he dozed through Cardin Winchester burst through a nearby bush and nearly knocked him flying.

"Hey Jauney boy, what's taking so long? We're waiting for our sap over here!" Cardin shouted with obvious impatience. And before Jaune could stand up Cardin's boot filled his view as it came down hard on the little Grimm plant.

"No time for plant watching nerd, we need that sap ASAP. Ha-ha get it. Seriously, though…."

Cardin continued talking but Jaune couldn't hear him because the little plant had retaliated, spraying up a cloud of red spores all over Jaune's face. After that all Jaune could feel was pain. He felt as though his face was melting away from his skull slowly, and knowing the creatures of Grimm it was certainly a possibility. He had no idea how long this torment was going on for, only that it was getting worse. The feeling spread from his head to the rest of his body, setting every nerve ending on fire and splintering his bones into pieces.

As the pain began to fade after an unknown time Jaune began to feel like himself again, only different. When his higher thought functions started to return out of the fog of pain that had totally clouded his mind he felt 'off' somehow. He knew his name, his teammate's names, that he was a student at beacon, and that Cardin Winchester had just caused him the worst pain in his life but something was wrong. There was a hunger in him now that wasn't there before. This was no time to be hungry and he hadn't been before the incident but now there was an overwhelming hunger pushing its way to the forefront of his mind. And that hunger seemed to know that there was food nearby, it called him to look around and find the nearby answer.

As his sight fixed on what he thought was food he realised it was a boy, lying in the dirt against a tree and shaking. Scanning the petrified kid up and down Jaune finally recognised him as Cardin and suddenly every feeling he had, the pain, confusion, and hunger all turned to one thing, rage. It was as if a red mist had descended on the world and the only way to satisfy this horrible burning hatred was to smash the thing that set it off. Without hesitating and before he could fully fathom what he was doing Jaune swung with all his might. He aimed his hardest punch right Cardin's head and put everything he had into it.

It was only as he was about to connect with his target that Jaune noticed two things. One, that Cardin's expression was that of a man who had seen into the void and been truly broken by it. And two, his 'fist' was a giant paw-like thing with black fur and huge white claws. His mind reeling from this absurd scene, he was rudely brought back to reality by a horrifying cracking, tearing sound as his 'punch' landed and tore Cardin's head clean off. As his bully's head soared through the air Jaune could feel that grip of rage fade just a little into the background of his mind, the world seemed to return to normal colour for a brief moment before the hunger rose again and replaced the rage. A clawing, demanding emptiness that made him miss the clarity of rage.

"Oh my God, it got Cardin! Quick, kill it!" The voice of Nora rang out loud and clear in the now quiet forest and for a moment he was relieved to know his team were nearby.

But when he turned around and saw the 'it' they were talking about was him and the look in their eyes was one of gleeful murder his heart sank. He knew if could just find a way to convince them it was him they would help him fix whatever had happened to him. As he thought for a quick solution a flash of red caught his eye as a familiar spear flew gracefully through the air and struck him just below the collarbone. The moment that he was struck all thoughts of plan and saviour vanished and were replaced by that clear and driving rage. But before he could make his move to attack a streak of bright gold cut through the red mist of Jaune's vision and struck him right in the neck.

He thought it strange that the red mist was gone and he could see clearly as he fell. He saw Ren and Nora standing armed and ready. He saw Pyrrha standing apart from them just a little, she had no weapons in her hand but she seemed to be crying. And strangest of all, he saw a headless Beowulf in the tattered remains of his armour begin to disintegrate as it fell to the ground. Then just like the Beowulf his vision began to disintegrate and he could feel the rage and hunger pass. He felt lighter somehow.


	2. Out of Ammo

**Out of Ammo**

"Weissss."

"No Ruby!"

"But, Weiss…."

"NO! Ruby I cannot do that and you know it. Pouting won't help so just stop asking."

"But I can't do it on my own, you're the only one who _can_ help. I promise if you do I'll be super happy and I'll love you forever and… why are you blushing?"

"I'm not blushing you dolt." Weiss was totally prepared for Ruby to beg and plead with her but she still couldn't help turning bright red when Ruby told her she would love her forever. It was such a dumb reaction and she knew it, it wasn't like Ruby meant it in a romantic way, she just wanted Weiss to do her a favour. She probably had no idea what affect her words really had on her teammate. Even before Weiss could think of a way to change the subject from her embarrassment Ruby was already flipping through the catalogue with a frown.

"C'mon Ice Queen, how could you be so cruel. Ever since Beacon made us pay for our own I've been broke. And you're so rich it would be easy for you to buy it."

"Beacon is making us pay for our own ammo now because you nearly bankrupted them with that ridiculous thing in the first place. And besides I only get an allowance like everyone else." Weiss knew that Ruby wouldn't like her calling Crescent Rose a "ridiculous thing" but she hated when people called her Ice Queen so fair was fair.

"Crescent Rose isn't ridiculous, it's awesome. So much better than your stupid weapon, it doesn't even transform. And your allowance is HUGE anyway."

"Myrtenaster isn't stupid, it's _elegant_. And for the last time I'm not buying you 1,000 rounds of high impact 50 calibre dust ammo. You'll just have to learn to conserve ammo in battle more."

Ruby gave up arguing but kept on grumbling about it under her breath. She knew Weiss could hear her and that was the point. "Stupid Ice Queen, probably doesn't have to even pay for dust. Probably gets it free from Daddy anyway."

"How DARE you! You little brat, I do not get free dust ammo just because my family own the largest dust company in Remnant. I'll have you know that my father even cut off my accounts because I won't return to Atlas and do what he wants!" Weiss hadn't meant to shout that out loud but Ruby's grumbling had set her off. It had been weeks since her father had frozen her accounts in an attempt to get her home and she hadn't told anyone. Well, anyone besides her sister Winter who had helped her make up her mind to stick it out at Beacon with her friends.

"I get the same student allowance as everyone else at Beacon and I don't know how they think it's supposed to be enough to survive but I haven't said a word about it because everyone else can do so I can too. And you have no right to be so demanding and complain when people don't just buy you things and…" Weiss tirade was cut short when she saw the look of regret and concern on Ruby's face. She could only stand there as her team leader made her contrite apology.

"I'm sorry Weiss, I didn't know you got cut off. I wouldn't have asked if I knew, I didn't want to upset you. But why wouldn't you tell anyone your accounts got frozen." She was so sincere Weiss couldn't help but let go of her righteous fury from moments ago. Instead she felt a little guilty for keeping such a big secret from her team.

"I don't know. I guess I was afraid that people would laugh at me, or that you guys wouldn't like having me around if I couldn't buy you stuff. I've never really had any friends that didn't want me for my money before."

"Don't be silly. We like you for you. We don't you to buy us stuff to like having you around."

X X X X

Out in the hallway Blake sat leaned against the wall listening through the door to her teammates reconcile after their fight. She had had her suspicions about Weiss being out of money for a while, ever since she stopped buying them all the expensive coffee when they went to Vale. It seemed as though the argument was over and everything was going to be fine when Yang strolled up the corridor.

"Hey Blake what are doing in the hall. Did you get locked out?"

"Ruby and Weiss were talking so I thought I'd give them some privacy."

"But you're still out here listening."

"Shhh, they don't know that, now quiet down they're still talking."

Yang's hearing was not as good as Blake's so she pressed her ear against the door to hear what was being said.

"I know I should have told you sooner Ruby, but I'm glad you understand. There is nowhere I'd rather be than right here."

"It's not like it needed to be some big confession but I'm happy you told me and I'm glad you're here too."

On the other side of the door Yang's eyes flashed red for a split second as she whispered "Confession? Not with my little sister you don't".

Luckily Blake spotted this and grabbed Yang's arm before she could open the door and do something they would all regret.

"No Yang, it's not what you think! Weiss told her about being cut off, that's all."

Oh, thank God." Yang replied, visibly relaxing. "Cause I really can't afford to shoot Weiss right now. This ammo isn't cheap."

END.

 **Author's Note**

 **This scene came from wondering how much ammo they use in the show and how expensive it must be. Just a fun little White Rose argument. Hope you enjoyed and feedback is always appreciated.**


	3. Power Outage

**Power Outage**

"Round 2. Fight!"

Just as Ruby's and Yang's virtual ninjas jumped into battle the screen flickered and died. At the same time the lights in the room went out.

"Ah no! What happened to the light?" Ruby was sure this was her chance to beat Yang at Ninja Fight 3 Xtreme and now the power was gone.

"Yang, you know it's just a power outage. Nothing's going to jump out and get you." Blake didn't really mind her teammate holding on to her, but maybe not this tight. For such a strong and fearless fighter she seemed awfully quick to grab hold of Blake the moment the light went out. Allowing herself a little smirk, she plied Yang's hand off her arm and stood up.

"I was just making sure everyone was ok. I didn't want you to get scared and freak out" Yang hoped that Blake's superior Faunus night-vision wasn't good enough to see her blushing.

Unfortunately for her Blake's vision was that good. But on the plus side she found the blushing endearing and actually really cute. Yang never seemed to be flustered by anything usually. Seeing this more vulnerable side to her gave Blake a warm feeling.

Realising that she had been holding onto Yang's hand since removing it from around her bicep a good 30 seconds ago Blake hastily offered to check if the power was out for everyone else's rooms.

"I'll go see if it's just us."

"As team leader it's my duty to take the lead on this dangerous mission!" Ruby giggled before promptly tripping over a sleeping Zwei and landing with a thud loud enough to wake the dead. But apparently not loud enough to wake Zwei, who slept soundly.

"How about you let the teammate with perfect night vision take the lead on this one, O fearless leader?" Yang couldn't help laughing as Ruby threw out a thumbs up while still face down on the floor.

Blake was already out the door before Weiss had helped Ruby to her feet. All the lights in the hallway and other rooms were out too.

"Looks like it's a blackout." She called back into the room.

"Let's see if Team JNPR want to hang out and tell ghost stories then." Ruby offered.

But just as they were about to knock on the door to their friends' room they heard the mangled guitar chords that could only mean Jaune was taking his chance to serenade his team. Probably by candlelight.

"On second thoughts why don't we just tell ghost stories on our own, as a team?" Weiss offered, not wanting to be dragged into having to listen to Jaune's tone deaf 'music' again.

"Yeah, great idea!" Ruby offered, "It'll be like a team building exercise." Ruby loved Jaune like a brother but the boy couldn't hit the right notes to save his life.

Heading back into the room Ruby and Weiss sat on one bottom bunk and Yang and Blake took up spots on the other. Yang immediately took her blanket and wrapped it around her and Blake and before the Faunus could object informed her that the heat was gone out too and it could get cold at night. She was just be a good teammate of course.

Blake rolled her eyes and shook her head but was secretly glad she was the only one with night vision good enough to spot blushing in the dark.

"Ok. Who wants to go first?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, I bet Blake knows some really scary stories. She should start." Yang didn't really care about the scary stories at all but she loved the way Blake got more and more animated when she really got into telling a story. She had seen it a few times when Blake explained some of the books she was reading. She kept trying to get Yang to read them too but Yang new if she did that then Blake would have no reason to explain them to her, and that would be a real shame.

"OK, I think I have a good one." Blake responded as Yang pulled the duvet a little tighter around them.

"One dark and stormy night four girls sat in a cold room….

 _ **Fin**_

 **A/N I'm going to try have a regular upload schedule for new chapters here. New chapters should be up every Tuesday and maybe the occasional bonus chapter when I write something more time sensitive or just if I build up a big backlog. And as always** **kill Hitler** **feedback is appreciated.**


	4. Fantasy

Weiss brushed her hair the same as she did every night. She had had the same bedtime routine since she was a little girl and brushing her hair had always been the most relaxing part. There was something about the slow ritual of pulling the brush through the hair that soothed her even after the longest and toughest of days. But tonight was a little different, the ritual was the same but she was sure the outcome would be different.

Outside the huge, well-appointed bedroom of the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company Blake paced the corridor in anticipation. She could hear Weiss humming to herself as she went through her night time beauty regime and suddenly felt very nervous. She hadn't been this nervous earlier in the evening and didn't think she would be this nervous now. And yet her stomach felt like the worlds largest butterfly farm.

This all began a few hours earlier when the couple had been snuggled up in front of the TV watching some crappy reality show where "ordinary people have their dreams come true". Normally they both hated that kind of stuff but seeing as it was nice and cozy under that blanket and the tv remote was out of arms reach after a certain heiress had suavely knocked it onto the floor trying to pull a 'smooth maneuver' and put her arm around her girlfriends shoulder, they left the show on.

"This is so dumb, who's 'biggest fantasy' is getting a _slightly_ bigger kitchen?"

"Spoken like a true rich girl. Some people don't have whole mansions you know." Blake's words were softened by her tone. Sometimes Weiss didn't really think before saying things that sounded more condescending that she meant them to.

"I know that! I just meant why the kitchen? They have a _tiny_ house, why not make the whole thing bigger."

Blake knew that Weiss didn't mean to be ignorant about what most families could afford to build but she really had no clue how much things like that cost for most people. Spotting the argument before it happened Blake decided to change the conversation to something more interesting.

"OK then, what is your 'biggest fantasy' Weiss?"

"That's easy. To be a great huntress and repair my family's reputation."

"That's a professional goal, not a fantasy. What is something you've always wanted but never told anyone about, y'know, a real fantasy?"

"Well….." Weiss shifted a little nervously and blushed a bright shade of pink. Blake always found that blush adorable. And she was pretty sure she would like where this was going.

"I have had this one dream, a recurring dream actually, for a while now but it's kind of private."

"Weiss we've been dating for a while now. We're on a romantic getaway to your families summer house. Besides you can't tell me you have a 'private fantasy' and not tell me what it is, you know I'll just imagine something smutty if you do that." Blake tried hard to fight off the smirk that was slowly spreading across her mouth but that was a fight she could never win. She was beginning to hope Weiss wouldn't explain for a little while at least, that way she could enjoy the smutty thoughts she was already having.

"OK, but you have to promise not to laugh."

"Of course I won't laugh."


	5. 10,000 BC

**10,000 BC**

The tracks were fresh and the blood on the leaves was still wet to the touch. The beast had been through here recently. But predators like the snow leopard were masters at hiding and Yang was not a master at tracking. It had never been her best attribute. But the tribe needed to be rid of this terror and they all knew that if they did find the beast Yang would be the one best able to slay it.

The stinging copper scent of the blood was unmistakable up close. But not so easy to pick out of the virtual soup of different aromas hanging heavy over the swampy marsh land. The stifling heat of midday and haze of fumes from the tar pits to the South-East combined with the exertion of chasing a fanged white blur through the swamp to make Yang's head spin. Luckily for her the tracks, and blood spatter, seemed to be heading up the hill to the north. Getting above the sticky, stagnant air of the swamp would help to clear her head. And she could refresh herself with a drink from the stream on the other side.

As she summited the hill Yang took a deep breath and turned her face up slightly at the breeze. It felt good, the warm sun and cool breeze at the same time. It was a feeling she never thought she would tire of. And one she knew would not last, even if the ice was retreating to the North more and more by the day the nights were still bitterly cold and snow could fall any day. The loss of their white blanket of camouflage had made it harder for the leopards to catch deer, who could see them coming better now. This had made them hungry and desperate. Desperation drives all creatures to aggression, and the leopards had been resorting to attacking the tribe more and more. Mostly picking off the very old or very young at night. Yang's own sister had barely survived an attack not three nights ago and was still in pain. The shaman was sure she would survive but Yang never did trust the old man to be honest. He had, after all, promised them this land would be a safe home and brought them instead to a valley of predators and warring tribes.

Drinking a big mouthful of the cold, clean water from the stream Yang felt a pair of eyes watching her. Her instincts for hunting may not be the sharpest in the valley but her instincts for a fight were beyond doubt and right now something was thinking to hunt her. Her immediate thought was that the leopard was still out for blood, too injured to run all the way back to its den and too hungry not to prey on whatever poor animal crosses its path. Yang was no animal though, at least not the kind that becomes prey. Her tribe's enemies called her the Sun Dragon, and she quite liked the name. It struck fear into hearts. All men fear fire, all but her. She had mastered fire in a way they could not, she had bent it to her will. It would burn only them, the Ice Walkers and Faunus, never the Dragon who brings it from the dust.

Carefully palming her "blast bomb" Yang stayed still as a tree crouched by the stream. Her anticipation for the leopards attack was at fever pitch and she was itching to jump and attack. She had never liked the waiting, it was why the hunters preferred to go without her. She was a formidable warrior but never had the patience for a long hunt. She knew the attack would come but not from where. Until the leopard pounced and revealed itself she would have to wait.

The wait was excruciating. She didn't know how long it had lasted but she was sure the shadows had grown longer on the ground in that time. Finally taking the initiative she reached into her "fire pouch" and covered her knuckles with the dust she used to make fire. It was the technique that earned her the name Sun Dragon. When she punched an enemy with her fists covered in dust they would flash with heat and light burning whoever she struck. She knew that once she moved the leopard would pounce and that it was faster than her but she also knew that in its injured state one good shot with a fire punch would take it down.

Turning quickly and raising her fists Yang scanned the underbrush franticly to see where the attack would come from. At first she thought she saw the leopard but very quickly realised that the amber eyes that were peering out from the tall grass were not those of a leopard. They were too big and had a softness to them that the big cat would never show. The momentary confusion was enough to give the owner of those bright eyes the chance to turn and run. Catching a glimpse of black fur draped over a clearly athletic and limber frame Yang thought the woman running from her now might in fact be the Beast Master Blake, legendary warrior of the Faunus tribe.

Chasing after her back over the hill and into the swamp Blake's reputation for agility and speed was on full display. She was leaping over falling tree trunks and swerving around boulders far better than Yang could manage. The dreaded Beast Master was making her getaway, no doubt to inform the rest of her tribe about Yang's movements. This leopard hunt took her far outside her normal territory into Faunus land. They knew this swamp far better than Yang ever could and Blake was using that knowledge to make her escape. Climbing gracefully up a ledge too high for Yang to follow Blake paused and looked down at her pursuer. Yang braced for some form of attack, after all Blake had a reputation for dropping into fights from trees or ledges like this one. Usually on top of an enemy, spear first. But no attack came. Instead she just smirked and winked at Yang before turning and disappearing into a cave.

Yang wasn't sure what just happened but she had a strange feeling in her stomach unlike anything she had felt before. She liked that feeling.

 **A/N: I'm not super happy with this one. I've been trying to get better at creating/describing a scene and have been a little blocked. I've also been playing a lot of Far Cry Primal recently so decided to incorporate the two. As always feedback is appreciated.**


	6. The Perfect Punch

**The Perfect Punch**

The subtle clank of the chain and dull thud of her gloved fist striking the bag were the same as always. That sound was always a part of it. The sound, the feel of a tough punching bag impacting her knuckles, the slight whoosh of air as the bag swung back toward her for another punishing strike, they made up the unmistakable sensation of training. Practice makes perfect and Yang Xiao Long was forever determined to be perfect when it came to punching. She wanted excellence in all aspects of combat, but the art of the perfect punch was the one area she wouldn't compromise. Ever since she first learned that being a huntress was a real job and not just a fantasy she had been practicing. And she had gotten good, beyond good, she could punch her way out of anything.

Her semblance helped immensely of course. She had met opponents who could hold their own, opponents who were faster, or more tactical. But she had never met one who could hit like she could _and_ take as much punishment. If she couldn't overpower them she could outlast them, fight to a standstill and wait for them to crumble. Long fights are draining for everyone but when your semblance is one big backup generator you have a real edge.

But today the bag wouldn't cooperate. It didn't feel to Yang as though she had carefully, or recklessly, honed her ability to throw punches for most of her young life. It felt like the bag was winning, like it came back at her faster than ever, like she wasn't getting the right angle to really get the bag under control, like she was off balance the whole time. Of course the reality was, she was off balance, she wasn't getting her timing right, and without timing she couldn't get her power working for her. Instead it worked against her, giving the bag too much momentum coming back at her before she was ready.

It was like learning to walk all over again. But somehow worse. When a kid learns to walk they fall down, a lot. But they don't care because they don't know that it's possible to walk _without_ falling. But Yang knew, she knew what it was like to run marathons and climb mountains, and now she couldn't take two metaphorical steps without falling face first into the dirt. All because she tried to punch her way out of another mess, because she always relied on power over control, and because the perfect punch doesn't matter if you don't know when to throw it and when to hold back.

Now she knew. Now she understood perfectly why everyone had wanted her to control herself more all those times it "didn't matter". They saw what she couldn't see. The vulnerability of rage and the predictability of her reaction to any challenge. She aimed for a one punch fight every time, and this time she got it. She threw one punch, she missed, he didn't. The fight was over before she hit the ground.

So Yang Xiao Long steadied the punching bag with her left hand and tried to focus on timing, precision and rhythm. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes. She rolled her shoulders to loosen up and was reminded of her "imbalance" again. Her right side was too light, her left arm swung out and her whole tilted slightly that direction. There was no counterweight on her right side, she would have to lean a little to the right to balance better. This was good, she finally felt like she was learning how to adjust. For the first time in the months since losing her right arm above the elbow in the Battle of Beacon Yang saw the punching bag the way she used to, as the means to achieving what she wanted, as way to become better. As a target to be attacked, slower, more patiently, but no less powerfully.

With a deep breath and gritted teeth she began the ritual again. T _hud, clank, whoosh, clank, thud._


	7. Easter Bunny

**Easter Bunny**

Sitting down in the empty classroom and taking out her scroll Velvet felt like she could finally relax and enjoy her lunch. It had been months since she had felt like she couldn't eat in peace in the cafeteria, not since Coco and Fox had "spoken to" some of the less Faunus friendly students about their bullying. After Cardin returned to class with his leg in a cast he had been nothing but respectful, the added look of fear in his eyes anytime Velvet was around was a bonus she would never admit to liking.

This time though she wasn't running away from bullies, she was hiding from her friends. It didn't really bother her too much because she knew it would only be for one day, and the chance to get some peace and quiet to read at lunch made a nice change too. She was glad she had this small classroom to get away to. Knowing from experience that nobody ever came by that way at lunch time helped her to relax and enjoy the solitude…

For about 30 seconds before a small crimson streak shot into the room trailing rose petals and squealing in excitement.

"There you are, I found you!" the tiny tornado chimed.

"Hello Ruby." Velvet sighed back, closing her scroll.

"Everybody's waiting to start the Easter egg hunt. We can't begin without the Easter bunny, so c'mon." Ruby held up a ridiculous foofy costume that was supposed to be some kind of rabbit like thing but looked far more like a torture device for someone as shy as Velvet.

"Fine, let's get this over with." She replied taking the abomination of a suit and vowing to be nowhere near Beacon next Easter. They wouldn't get her to do this again, that much she knew.

 **A/N: Just a micro update this week. I've been busy this weekend with the 1916 Centenary and Easter so no time to write a full update. Hope you guys don't mind.**


	8. Stowaway

**Stowaway**

The sound of the waves rushing past the hull was one of the many constants Sun Wukong knew on the two week voyage to Vale. Boredom was the other major companion he had on his ill-conceived trip. When he had decided to stow away on the cargo ship to get from Mistral to the Vytal festival he thought it would be a grand adventure. And at first it was, finding a ship bound for Vale, sneaking aboard right under the night watchman's nose, choosing a nice hidden little place deep in the bowels of the hull to bunker down. But after two days at sea Sun had learned the passageways of the ship and the times when it was easiest to sneak about without getting caught.

It wasn't hard to do, the ship was huge and only had a small crew. It turns out that it doesn't take many people to watch a bunch of containers sit in the same spot on a ship for two weeks as it sails pretty calmly from one port to another. So after a few days Sun started to get a little braver, moving around at busier times of the day and escalating to causing mischief for the crew. He had started by moving small objects around just a little bit, putting a wrench from the engine room in the sleeping quarters and other tiny stuff like that. When that failed to get their attention, about 1 week into the voyage, he began getting even bolder and started to take some of the crew's personal belongings and plant them on other crew members.

One particular longshoreman was always making loud comments about how disgusting he thought Faunus were so Sun found a picture of another crew member's girlfriend and planted it on the loudmouths bunk. He thought it would cause some trouble and he wasn't wrong. The fist fight that erupted between the two was the most entertaining thing that happened all trip even though he felt bad about it for a moment afterward. That was until loudmouth started blaming the Faunus rights movement for the fight despite there being no Faunus on the ship, as far as the guy knew, let alone involved in the actual fight.

By the time the ship docked in Vale Sun was more than ready to get off the boat and enjoy some fun in a real city, where there were things to do. But he still couldn't resist the urge to get one last adrenaline rush out of this whole stowaway scenario. Even though he could easily have just slipped off the ship unseen and unheard he preferred the idea of a chase. So he got spotted on the deck by some deckhands and made sure to run only fast enough to stay out of reach but let them keep up enough to kick off a proper chase.

His voyage to Vale had been largely boring but his arrival would be great fun.


	9. Emails

**Emails**

 **From:** accounts

 **Subject:** Insurance Premium

Dear Prof. Ozpin,

As I'm sure you are aware your school's insurance premium will be adjusted upward by 23% as of the 1st of next month. This is due to repeated and numerous incidents involving potentially harmfull breach of safety protocols by students at your school.

These incidents include but are not limited to;

Students using "rocket lockers" as offensive weapons causing damage to property including the lockers themselves,

Students locking other students inside the lockers and firing them causing risk to the students and property damage,

students engaging in non-sanctioned "fights" on campus causing damage to property.

I'm sure you understand the need for this price increase. The full assessment report can be found attached. Thank you for your business.

 **From:** Glynda (ggoodwitch )

 **Subject:** Insurance!

I told you the rocket lockers would ruin our insurance costs! I raised every single point about them before we bought them. Of course the kids were going to use them to play pranks on each other. And I am so sick of running around spending half my day repairing potholes caused by them landing on the grounds. Not to mention all the towns people who complained about nearly being crushed under them. We have to do something about this before someone gets killed.

 **From:** Peter (Portthegreat )

 **Subject:** Escaped Boarbatusk

 **CC:** stafflist

Hello all,

Please be on the lookout for an escaped boarbatusk on the academy grounds. He managed to break the lock on his cage early this morning and has been missing since. If you capture him alive please return him to my office.

Peter Port.

 **From:** Glynda (ggoodwitch )

 **Re:** Escaped Boarbatusk

 **CC:** stafflist

The situation has been taken care of. The Grimm was found by a 2nd year team rummaging through the bins behind the first year dorms, thankfully before any of the first years were up and about. Peter, please meet me at my office after classes are finished today. We need to discuss your repeated violation of Grimm handling procedure.

 **From:** Peter (portthegreat )

 **To:** Glynda

 **Re: Re:** Escaped Boarbatusk

 **BCC:** Me

I do not appreciate being called out in front of the staff. I followed the protocols recisely and even if I had not there is no need to CC the entire staff in the conversation.

Peter Port.

 **From:** James ( )

 **Subject:** Classified Action

Our specialists have reported increased WF action in North West sector of [Redacted]. Recommend sending "asset" to assess the situation.

 **From:** Qrow (branwenq )

 **Subject:** Intel

Met contacts at inn, no new intel on new players. R doesn't know them either, but she says that whoever they are they've got WF very nervous. Seems like there might be something big coming soon. Will rendezvous with FM at next opportunity and bring her up to speed. JI informed about WF activity. Will proceed with caution in NW. Keep me posted.

Just a sample of Prof. Ozpin's emails. Being headmaster (and secret council chairman) is a many faceted job.

 **A/N: There will be no updates for the next week or two as I am starting a new job. Regular Tuesday updates will resume in a few weeks.**


	10. Bike Race?

Motorbike Race

"Yang Xiao Long never felt more alive than she did coming out of the third turn on the Vale Circuit. It was the perfect mix of hard braking into the turn and full throttle press out on the other side. And in between the two she leaned the bike down as low as it would go without putting it on the tarmac. It was a rush like any other, and Yang lived for the rush. She was always a thrill seeker ever since she was a little girl and as soon as she saw her fast race, the bikes flying past the grandstand at unbelievable speeds, she knew she wanted to do that.

That Christmas her dad bought her a bicycle and she spent the rest of Christmas day until dinner outside cycling up and down the garden path between tall banks of snow that Taiyang had cleared away his little girl could try out her knew bike. Within two months the training wheels were off and she was peddling faster than ever. The progression from there to buying her first motorbike was pretty obvious. She would cycle everywhere and always be working on her bike to improve the speed and handling.

When Yang was 17 she saved pretty much everything she made from her part time job and put it all towards buying a cheap second hand motorbike. It was an ugly Junker that barely ran but Yang loved it. It was her first proper taste of the kind of speeds that were just not possible on a push bike. It made her feel like she was the coolest person on the planet, and it didn't hurt that she looked great in her leathers.

When she finally convinced her dad to let her try racing bikes on the qualifying circuit, with the big plan to be a pro one day, she already had tonnes of practice on the street-racing scene. Not that her dad knew that, or the police or professional racing association either. They would have disqualified her if they found out. Only three people knew about her street-racing past. Her sister Ruby, who helped her trick out her old bike to go even faster. Her boss Weiss, owner of Schnee racing, who wasn't happy about it but was not about to jeopardise her shot at a title by firing her best driver. And her girlfriend Blake, who she met on the circuit.

Blake worked for Adam, who ran a big time underground gambling ring that controlled betting on the illegal races, among other things, in Vale. Adam had an interest in making sure Yang didn't win a race against the mysterious racer called White Fang. White Fang was the name of the guy's bike in reality but since nobody knew his name that's what they all called him. So Adam sent Blake, his best leg breaker, to put the fear in her and convince her to throw the race. But the moment the two met there were sparks, and not just because they were in a mechanics shop with welding going on. They fell madly in love and rode away together on Yang's sweet new ride that she called Bumbleby with a y."

"That's not how you spell it!"

"Are you telling the story now?"

"But aunty Yang I thought you and aunty Blake met at school."

"Yeah _'aunty'_ Yang, didn't we meet at school?"

"Whose side are you on Blake?"

"She's on our side coz we're the coolest!"

"Alright, I can see you don't believe my incredibly cool, totally true story. So it's time to go to bed. Your mom would kill us if she knew we let you stay up this late. You wouldn't want that you?"

"Aww do we have to?"

"Do what your aunty Yang says kids. Go brush your teeth."

The sound of two tiny humans running up the stairs to get ready for bed was as welcome as it was adorable. Yang and Blake loved the twins but a whole day with them could be exhausting.

"What made you come up with that story?"

"They wanted to know how we met and I couldn't tell them the real story could I?"

"No. Weiss would snap you in half if you did that."

"Can you imagine her face if they asked her what 'shattering orgasm' meant? Haha."

"It was _shattering_ , was it?"

"Don't act surprised Blake, you were there."

"And how about I go there again?"

"Shh, the kids will hear."

"I like this."

"What?"

"You, being so concerned about the twins. It's sweet."

"Aunty Yang! Will you tell us a bedtime story?"

"Sure thing kiddo, I'll be up in a minute."

"I'd better go get them to bed, why don't you make us something to eat."

"Y'know, I like this domestic version of you."

"You like every version of me."

"I'm not sure about this cocky version."

"Haha, we both know that one's your favourite."

As Yang walked away Blake couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.

 **A/N; Back to weekly chapters now that I'm in the new job. I'll let you know if that changes. This week I wanted to try a domestic Bumblebee. I also wanted to try write a conversation that you can follow without saying who is speaking every single line. Let me know if it was too hard to follow.**


	11. Missions: The Village (Part I)

Missions: The Village (Part 1)

"Wheeeeee!"

"Nora! There are way too many Grimm for you to…"

"I win, I win, you're all dead and I win."

Nora Valkyrie stood triumphantly on top of a mound of dead Grimm singing her victory song while Ren, Velvet, and Scarlet looked on in disbelief. The tiny terror had just pulverised a whole pack of beowolves, maybe ten in total, without ever breaking a sweat.

"Nora, you should get down from there before those Grimm start to…"

"Ouch! I landed on my butt, hahaha."

"…Disintegrate."

"When Ren and Nora are done being adorable we have to get to the village before nightfall. If we're not out of the woods before then we're screwed." Velvet was always the worrier of the group and their current situation was doing nothing to change that.

She was always a little nervous when separated from the rest of team CFVY. She had spent her time at Beacon learning how to fight as part of a team, and her roll usually relied on the rest of the team shielding her from the bigger threats while she built up her aura to unleash hell. But after everything that happened during the battle of beacon all the teams of students were being split up. Every student who was willing was named a full-fledged huntress or huntsman and they were all being sent on their own missions.

Glynda Goodwitch and Qrow Branwen had taken over the duty of assigning huntsmen to missions. They preferred to keep teams together when possible but certain missions required certain skills and the individuals with those skills were in short supply. When teams were split up the remaining members were put together to complete low risk jobs. Although these days low risk jobs were pretty dangerous too.

The events of the last few months had made the whole world a more dangerous place. Towns that used to be perfectly safe were now attracting more Grimm than ever before. Anger over the events of the Vytal festival and fear that Atlas were going to invade had driven Grimm incidents through the roof. It was all the huntsmen and huntresses could do to keep the Grimm at bay and tackle any local gangs or White Fang operations that popped up.

"How many Grimm could there be in this forest?" Scarlet asked. "We killed so damn many on our way out here."

Team SSSN had all volunteered to stay in Vale at first to clean up the Grimm in the outlying villages before heading home to Mistral? But when team RWBY basically vanished they ended up staying longer, as Sun was searching for signs of Blake and Neptune was sure that finding Blake would be the key to helping Weiss get out from her family's imposed seclusion. Those two were using every opportunity out in the field to check for signs that Blake was still in Vale, but if she was then she did not want to be found.

Scarlet and Sage meanwhile had been pitching in where they could on missions. Neither of them had semblances that were in high demand but both could certainly handle themselves in a fight. So they found themselves frequently clearing out large swathes of Grimm or joining local police forces in routing out gangs or White Fang hideaways. This time however Sage was part of a specialist team that provided an overwhelming amount of muscle, he and Yatsuhashi of team CFVY were clearing out Grimm in a mountain pass. They had to clear the debris the Grimm left blocking the road too.

That left Scarlet here with Velvet, joining a mission to clear a way to a small village on the southern edge of Vale territory. The village was to act as a staging post for a huntsman base. Which they needed to effectively patrol the region. But the bigger bonus for this village was that they wanted to establish a transmit tower there.

A big part of Qrow and Glynda's work was trying to repair communications between the kingdoms after the White Fang attack knocked out the CCT? The first step in this plan was to set up a lot of local towers in strategic spots to allow the huntsmen to communicate within the kingdom itself. Unfortunately this meant sending teams outside of radio range to establish the towers.

After a week of trekking and fighting down a narrow and winding road in the forest and fighting more than a pack of beowolves a day, plus one really pissed off Ursa, they were finally in sight of the village. It had held up surprisingly well considering the number of Grimm in the area. In fact the town was so unharmed it was a little suspicious.

"Guys, I think we might be in trouble." Ren was always careful about his environment. Its part of what made him and Nora such a good team, he pointed out danger and she smashed it into pieces.

"Yeah, why wouldn't all those forest Grimm try attack this place instead of us?"

"I don't know Scarlet, but I don't think it can be anything good. Move slowly and stay near buildings you can use as cover."

As the makeshift team advanced through the village they became more and more convinced that something was very wrong. There were no people about, but the place didn't look abandoned. There were no deserted belongings, all the buildings had the curtains drawn but none were boarded up. There signs of a fight but not like the Grimm attacked, more like there was a gunfight. Which usually meant the White Fang these days.

And almost as if on cue, just as the team noticed the bullet holes and blast burns on some of the walls Ren spotted what looked like the barrel of a rifle coming out one of the upstairs windows of a large house to the teams left flank.

To be continued…

 **A/N:** **This is my first two parter in this collection. Part two coming next. I will be revisiting this idea of the characters in the direct aftermath of the Battle of Beacon but they won't all be connected directly, more like an anthology.**


	12. Missions: The Village (Part II)

Missions: The Village (Part II)

"Enemy, left side!" Ren shouted as he reached for Stormflower and darted to the low wall on his right side.

Vaulting over the wall and ducking down for cover he was pleased to see his team were all alert, being only a fraction of a second behind him in finding that cover. And not a moment too soon either. Before they could even ask if what they saw was really a gun the shooting started. It was clearly more than just a lone gunman as the wall they were hiding behind was being peppered with bullets but thankfully all their enemies seemed to be holed up in the same building.

Nora was waiting for the gunfire to die down just long enough to fire a grenade in the upstairs window.

"Nora wait! We don't know who those guys are. They may just be frightened villagers who think we're here to harm them." Scarlet raised the question of who they were fighting, or rather who they were hiding from.

Peeking over the wall Velvet saw a small number of people, maybe five in total creeping up along the outside of the building the shooting was coming from. They were all wearing the uniforms and masks of the White Fang.

"They're White Fang, and there's a bunch of them trying to sneak up on us over there." Velvet gestured to the group's left side where the White Fang members were advances.

"Well then, Nora." Ren was taking charge and issuing orders. It was best in battle to have a clear chain of command and Ren was a good choice to lead. He always knew his surroundings well and was quick to think of solutions.

"On it!" Before Nora could get a good look at which window her target was in there was a hail of gunfire from the troops on the ground to their left forcing her to duck behind the wall again.

"Scarlet, Velvet, draw their fire away from us, I'll provide cover fire for Nora."

"Roger that, I'll go right and draw off the guy upstairs. Velvet you go left and distract the group. We'll circle around and get them from both sides." Scarlet knew he was the best chance at distracting the shooter upstairs without getting hit. He was the fastest in the group and moving unpredictably came naturally to him. It didn't mean he was excited about being the runner though.

"OK. On 3. 1, 2, 3!" Ren jumped up from behind his cover and unloaded in the direction of the group on the ground. Sending one or two of them scurrying behind the corner of the house.

The others moved behind a van to their left. They were watching Velvet make her break behind the low edge of a fountain in the town square. She didn't want to waste her built-up power on this small group if she could help it and for now she didn't have to. With Ren and Nora behind them they wouldn't try to move around her and they couldn't hit her from where they were.

Scarlet jumped over the wall and ran almost directly at the building housing the White Fang before turning sharply to his right and rolling forward just as a bullet impacted the ground right where he was a moment before. It was at that exact moment, hearing the crack of the bullet hitting the pavement before the sound of the gunshot even rang out that Scarlet knew two things. One, this sniper was pretty good and two, he was better.

Changing direction again he heard a bullet whistle past behind him as he vaulted the low wall surrounding the garden of the White Fang held house. Landing in amongst the rose bushes he looked up just in time to see a trail of pink smoke lead into the window where the gunman was followed by a large explosion and the twisted wreck of a long range sniper rifle landing ten feet away from him in the garden. Charging toward the windows on the ground level at the front of the house Scarlet drew his sword and gun.

Checking the inside of the house through the window he couldn't see anyone so he used the grapple in the handle of his pistol to pull himself up to the blown out window where the sniper's nest had been. Seeing the man lying inside motionless and no other signs of anybody we went inside to clear the building and make sure there were no more surprises. The last thing he saw outside before swinging in was the van near the house exploding.

With the confusion caused by Nora's grenade distracting the White Fang members for a moment Velvet seized her chance to move up and try to get close enough to engage them hand to hand. When she was about half way to them they noticed her and took aim. But before they could fire they were sent flying in all directions as Nora sent a grenade right into the van they were using for cover. Before the one remaining guy could get his bearings Velvet was right on top of him, with one swing of her leg she kicked him in the head and he was out for the count.

While this was happening Ren had advanced on the house and kicked open the door. Finding nobody in the front hall he advanced. He moved slowly and carefully through the lower level checking every room, being very careful to check his corners and always give himself a quick path to cover or out of the room altogether. Finding no one on that level he moved back to the front hall, where Velvet and Nora were now joining him having finished up with the group outside.

Just as they were about to take the stairs up, with Nora watching the door behind them, they heard a thud, a groan, and the crack of wood splintering under impact. Before they could move toward or way from the noise a figure came tumbling over, or rather through, the banisters at the top of the stairs and landed in a heap at their feet. His White Fang mask cracked down the middle where there was a bleeding contusion in his forehead.

"He tried to ambush me." Scarlet called down from the top of the stairs. "I don't think it worked well for him."

"Tie him up with the other one." Ren gave the order to Velvet but Nora was the one picking him up and slinging him over her shoulder.

"Hey guys, there's a good spot on the roof here for the comm gear." Scarlet was already half way out the window to get up there and set it up.

Less than two hours later, and with surprisingly little effort or delay the teams two way radio crackled into life. The communications setup they rigged together would not support full scroll connectivity but it would get the signal from their radio to the main Vale base.

Just as the sun was setting in the west the silhouettes of Vale's transport Bullheads were racing toward the team to help establish a forward operating base and communications tower. A proper one that would let them reconnect to the world.

Nobody said it but all 4 new huntsmen and huntresses were thinking that this satisfaction, the feeling of having accomplished something to make Remnant a better place, was the reason to do what they do.

 **A/N: Part 2 of my first 1,001 Nights 2-parter done. Next week will not be another in this particular anthology but you will be seeing more of them from time to time. Hope you enjoyed this one. Feedback always appreciated.**


	13. Gathering Intel

**Gathering Intel**

The taverns of Remnant were always the best places to pick up information. Many people from many places, some regulars, some just passing through, all enjoying the products on offer and talking with friends or staff about this and that. Most of it was just idle gossip. Co-workers complaining about the boss, sailors bemoaning the boredom of life at sea, or patrons hitting on the barmaids. But sometimes there was real info to be found, from small time crooks plotting petty thefts in dark corners to goons working for serious players getting a little too drunk and saying something they shouldn't. Any cop worth his salt should be able to lay low in a bar and find intel to help them.

Of course most cops have the problem that they look like cops. Even off duty, out of uniform cops often look like cops. It's the way they hold themselves mostly, and the way they dress. Take away the police uniform and most officers simply replace it with another uniform. This one made up of a flannel shirt, jeans and work boots in most cases.

That was why most of the best individuals at gathering intel became informants for huntsmen or, if they had the chops, became huntsmen themselves. But far more common was for a huntsman to learn the skills required to gather info after they learn to fight and hunt Grimm. It's easier to teach an attack dog to listen than it is to teach a lap dog to fight after all. The very best in the game were always the top huntsmen who could adapt easily to many situations and who also had a natural knack for eavesdropping or blending in.

The pinnacle of these was one Qrow Branwen, nobody learned more from bar room conversation than Qrow. Mostly because nobody spent half as much time in bars as he did. It would not be right to call him a drunk, because that would imply he was ever sober, which he hadn't been in years. And after all, how long can you be drunk before drunk becomes simply normal?

The trick he had for getting the most detail in the shortest time was to size up the guys most likely to be up to no good. Small timers stealing watches and purses were way below his pay grade, he was looking for serious threats, leads to the White Fang or organised crime. Then he would position himself near the group to eavesdrop a little, and work out who the most loose-lipped one was. Finally he would rile that one up, goad him into getting angry and then insulting him, and tell him that he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. Half the time it would lead to a fight. The other half though, the guy would be desperate for everyone to know how badass he is and say something he shouldn't, something that would give Qrow a lead he could use. Then there would be a fight, there was always a fight in the end.

But that was not Qrow's favourite method of gathering information. He didn't mind the fighting at all and it gave him an opportunity to piss people off in conversation which he always enjoyed but he preferred the other main option. Chatting up the staff. Flirting with pretty barmaids was almost as enjoyable as the drinking itself, and they overheard all the best stuff. Criminals had a tendency to like their glasses overflowing, metaphorically not literally, which meant that the bar staff had to keep coming to their tables to top them up. After a few drinks and deeper into the planning sessions they tended to forget about the real people serving their drinks and talked more freely about their plans even when the staff were pouring. The only group that resisted this pitfall was the White Fang, which was not surprising since they were well-drilled and disciplined. They considered themselves an army and conducted themselves accordingly, never discussing plans in public places.

The trick to getting intel out of bar staff is twofold, first you have to be charming and personable. No one will talk to you if you're unlikable. Snarky and sarcastic is fine, as Qrow had demonstrated time and again, but being rude and abrasive will get you nowhere. The second thing that helps is to carry cash. No matter how much you try to charm people they are always more helpful when there's something in it for them too. Using these things the best huntsmen build networks of intelligence gathering all across Remnant.

Of course there are other types of intel too. Hacking into scrolls and terminals is another great way to get information but requires a totally different skill set. You need to understand IT and technology at a high level and it usually involves breaking and entering to get the best stuff but it has its place.

So the next time you need to get some clandestine information about your enemies movements remember to act like Qrow Branwen. On second thought, maybe develop your own method. Your liver will thank you for it.


	14. Press Tour

**Press Tour**

This press tour was the toughest one yet. After Pyrrha's performance in the Vale pre-Vytal festival tournament it was hardly a surprise. Every magazine and TV show wanted a sit-down with the prodigy. Fan clubs clamoured for autographs and photos at every hotel, restaurant, and TV station. She couldn't say no to them, even as her handlers were moving her along to keep her next interview appointment she was apologising.

Pyrrha had always been a people pleaser and it had always taken a lot out of her. She never wanted fame and fortune, although she could admit the fortune was nice to have. The mounting interest in the upcoming Vytal festival was adding a level of pressure that she had not seen in a long time, pretty much since she got accepted to Beacon. Life at the academy was easier for sure, there was no media presence in the school and even when some of the other students stared at her or gossiped behind her back she had her friends around to take her mind off it.

She missed her team terribly during this tour, maybe that's what made it so bad. For the first time since she became "child prodigy Pyrrha Nikos" she had friends who she missed, she had some place she would rather have been, she thought about how her teammates would respond to the questions she was asked a thousand times by a thousand different interviewers. She couldn't make it through one interview without thinking,

 _My favourite breakfast is Ren's pancakes, and half the reason is the fun we have while he makes them._

But she always answered, "Pumpkin Pete's is the only breakfast to give you that champion energy."

And every time she did, a little piece of her died inside. She knew the money was good and it really helped her family out, and she never used to have a problem with it. But now she was beginning to think that it was because she didn't know anything different. She had been top of her class pretty much her whole life. She was so used to people making these demands, go here, sign this, smile for the camera, that she never stopped to think what would happen if she said no and did what _she_ wanted.

Pyrrha had already said many times to her teammates that they changed her life and even though it was true from the start it was only then, sitting in a hotel room for the thousandth time waiting between interviews for the thousandth time, did she realise just how much they had changed her as a person. She was still nodding and smiling and playing nice with the press but now she was aware of her own apathy for it. She was thinking the whole time she couldn't wait till next week to see the team again, for the chance to be carefree and have fun. How could she not have realised her whole life that it was easy to have fun, all you needed was people around you who wouldn't make demands, who wouldn't treat you like some sort of statue to worship from afar. Although now that she thought about it a little worship from Jaune would be nice, not from afar though.

There was so much she missed in her life up until she became a part of Team JNPR and she was more aware than ever that sitting in these interview rooms repeating herself endlessly was the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted to belong, and the media wanted her separate, above everyone so they could sell her image as a goal for kids. She had tried so hard to live up to that impossible image and it had made her miserable. So she made herself a promise as yet another reporter slouched into the room and offered an unenthusiastic handshake.

This would be the last press interview Pyrrha Nikos would do. She had made enough money for her family, she had served her time as a role model. She would win the Vytal festival and go back to Beacon and graduate and become a huntress with her friends. She would make Jaune see how she feels and above all she would live her life on her terms. Nothing was going to stop her from living out her promise to herself, she was sure of it.


	15. Winter

**Winter**

Winter Schnee was always in control. Every minute of the day from waking up to going to sleep, she knew what was going on and how to manage the situation. Her attitude never changed, whether she was boiling eggs for breakfast or tackling a crisis within the Atlas military she knew her role and how to fill it to perfection. As if her rigorous military training and experience as a Specialist wasn't enough she was raised in an environment where pursuing excellence was not optional. Her every day was planned to completion by her father, with time for relaxation included at her mother's request, all so she would be ready to take over the family business one day.

Her relationship with her father was never the warm and cuddly archetype as seen on TV but she always got the feeling that the way he pushed her was his way of showing his love. He was pretty much obsessed with legacy and wanted her to continue the family name in big ways, she always used to find that inspiring, her dad believed in her enough to push her to achieve her best. He was happy for her when she was accepted into Atlas Academy? to study and become a huntress. Looking back now she knew it was because "the best and brightest" attending the school didn't mean she was as brilliant as she wanted to be, it meant she could network with future powerbrokers and playmakers in the world of Atlas society. Those were the skills her father believed in.

When she enlisted in the military after graduating he was furious. She still hated remembering that conversation, the look of pure anger in his eyes was terrible. All the time growing up she thought he pushed her because he wanted her to succeed. In reality he wanted her to succeed _him_. He didn't care if she was happy or fulfilled by her work. The only thing that mattered was legacy, and she was his. Her success would mean he succeeded in raising her to be like him, would show the world that he was a "great man" because his daughter would run the company the same way he did.

They didn't speak for the longest time after that confrontation. He threatened to cut her off financially and followed the threat through. Luckily she was already drawing a salary from the military, and besides spending as much time on missions as she was meant she couldn't really have spent the money anyway. She suspected that if her parents ever got divorced she would find herself disinherited from the will. Not the she cared too much about the money, it was the gesture that hurt.

Really though her biggest regret in all this was how it affected Weiss. She loved her sister to death, even if she was jealous of her for most of their childhood together. Weiss still had a regimented life and their father pushed her hard too, but she got to enjoy herself a little more. The pressure on her was never quite as intense, until Winter walked away from her "duty to the family" by pursuing her own life. After that Weiss was the heiress to the throne, the one all their father's hopes were pinned on. She found herself under all the pressures and scrutiny that Winter had lived with her whole life. Nothing was quite good enough, even her music suffered this attention. Their father never cared for music, it didn't increase profit or build an empire so it was a waste of time. But if Weiss was going to sing she had to be the best singer in the world or what was the point. She already heaped pressure on herself, she was desperate for approval and always tried to match up to what Winter achieved to get father's recognition.

Mr. Schnee's plan for his youngest child backfired when he brought her into the loop on business arrangements, he urged her to learn all she could about how the Schnee Dust Company ran so she could take it over one day. But Weiss was determined to follow Winter's path, she wanted to become a huntress because then she would prove she could do it better. After finally starting to learn about her family's work she changed.

She no longer wanted to follow Winter's footsteps, she wanted to forge her own path. She had always been very concerned with making the world "better" even long before she had any idea what that meant or how she could possibly achieve it. Before she was sure she could do it through music, or by innovating new technologies for the SDC. But when she began to learn about how her father did business, how ruthless he could be, she saw a different option. Help the world by redeeming the Schnee name. She was too young and inexperienced yet to know that the world didn't really care about her family name. Being a huntress and helping people in need would never make them forgive the company for taking jobs or ruining homes for their mines. They would view her as the exception, the "good Schnee" who was not like "the rest of them".

Both girls got their father's need for control, a fact that made relations between the generations fraught at times. But Weiss also inherited his preoccupation with legacy, and she wanted hers to be the thing that undid his. Winter envied her sister's clarity of vision on the subject, but she had seen far too much in her time as a Specialist, and sitting in secret meetings, to share that naïve world view.

She knew things most people would never believe, the truth about "magic" and the existence of maidens. The true scale of the Grimm threat and how close to the edge of oblivion all of Remnant could get without the public seeing. She knew what real power looked like and how precarious it all was. The things lurking in the dark that would swallow whole the ambition of her father or the righteous nobility of her sister. Day after day she stood between the world and the end of the world and faced it unblinking.

Why then was she so scared of people finding out she was sleeping with Qrow?


	16. sparring

**Sparring**

"Ladies and gentlemen! The fight you've all been waiting for! The biggest brawl of the century. Nay! The millennium! I present for your entertainment, Sun Wukong versus Scarlet David!"

"Thanks for the sarcasm Neptune." Sun didn't stop limbering up.

"Yeah, you snarky bastard." Scarlet looked up from checking his gun's trigger mechanism.

It was the last training session of the week, late on a Friday afternoon. Team SSSN always liked to end the week with some sparring and now that they were in Vale for the Vytal festival they were going at it much harder than they had back home. Something about being around all the other teams really amped them all up.

Neptune lost the afternoon's earlier matchup with Sage. He hated to lose, it made him feel less cool. So he always got snippier after a loss. Normally the others would give him a harder time over it. But they were all focused so much on the tournament that they didn't want the distraction. Well, Sun and Scarlet didn't, Sage was smirking quietly to himself.

Having finished stretching and checking their equipment Sun and Scarlet both made their way into the ring in the middle of the downtown gym that all the Haven students used to train. Leaving their weapons at ringside for the first warm up round, hand to hand unarmed combat. Sun was confident, he was the best unarmed fighter on the team. Sage had some truly impressive brute force but he wasn't the quickest. Neptune was pretty bad at it, he was fantastic with his trident in hand and even better with the rail-gun form. He was a great shot, but up close and personal his skills were somewhat lacking.

Scarlet was the one who came closest to matching Sun's prowess. And on a good day he might even beat him. He was agile and quick. Plus his choice of weapon, a cutlass, meant he had to have great reflexes and timing on his strikes. It also gave him plenty of practice at dodging incoming blows because it was shorter than many other students' weapons and certainly put him well within swiping range of a beowolf before he could score the killing blow.

Both fighters danced around each other for a moment or two. The calm before the storm. They all knew that when the fighting started the pace would be high. It always was with Sun, he was pretty relentless.

Sun made the first move. Moving in fast on his opponent he threw a quick left hand jab at scarlets face and as his teammate dodged his head he threw an uppercut with his right. But he wasn't quite fast enough, Scarlet managed to spring half a step back in time to avoid the blow. His footwork was always his best weapon. I doesn't matter how hard your opponent hits if they can't make contact.

Stepping inside Sun's reach he threw two quick jabs into his ribs and rolled backward out of reach as Sun thrusted his knee up into the space where Scarlet's chin had been. Before he was fully set on his feet again Sun's foot came flying towards his face. He dodged. Barely avoiding it. He was on the back foot now and knew it. The important thing was not getting hit, it didn't matter if Sun had the upper hand so long as he was landing any serious shots.

Pivoting to his left Scarlet reached out and grabbed Sun's wrist as he attempted to punch him. Twisting his team leader's arm around behind his back he almost got him into a great hold position. Almost. But before he could manoeuvre himself into place Sun pushed off the ground hard. He spun a little as he jumped, forcing himself into a corkscrew spin that took him over Scarlet's head and spun the other fighter around. When he landed they were face to face a pace apart. The motion of the spin had released Scarlet's grip on him freeing him completely. Before he could launch another attack Sage rang a gong, because a bell just wasn't his style, to say the round was over and it was time for them to practice sparring with weapons.

Taking a quick breather and having a drink of water both combatants were totally focused on their game plans for the second half of their match. Gathering up their weapons and stretching out a little again they re-entered the ring.

Sun had his weapon in its staff form, twirling it around in a lazy arc in one hand and then across his shoulders behind his neck to the other. He was the very picture of relaxed and confident. Scarlet on the other hand was wound tight like a coiled snake, his sword outstretched in Sun's direction in his right hand and his pistol in his left. He was concentrating on his opponent and clearly ready to react.

So when Sun very suddenly leapt from his lazy stance into a downward swipe with his staff Scarlet was ready for it. He knew Sun well enough to expect this play from him. Blocking the attack with his sword he jumped back as Sun changed his grip on the staff and, holding it in the middle, began swinging at Scarlet using each end in turn. He spun to his left for more power with that side then a few strikes later did the same thing to his right hand side.

The fight progressed like this for a minute, Sun trying a full press attack with his staff and Scarlet parrying his shots and trying to strike back on the counter-attack. Both Sage and Neptune were watching the fight closely, and knowing their teammates well they knew it would be a good time to retreat behind the blast shield. The blast shield was a clear slab of glass set up to one side of the ring to protect onlookers from any weapon blasts that might go astray during a sparring match.

The fighters were using training rounds, dust cartridges that were more sound and fury than truly harmful. They made a lot of noise and a big flash like real ammo but didn't do much damage if they hit you. They just stung a bit and left a red a mark where they hit. Still, better not to take one in the face if you don't have to.

Pretty much as soon as soon as they situated themselves behind the blast shield their decision payed off. Scarlet had clearly had enough counter-punching with just the sword and decided to kick the fight into the next gear. The moment he had an opening with his left hand rather than swinging the butt of the pistol at Sun as he had been doing he pointed the barrel at his legs and squeezed the trigger.

The shot managed to knock Sun off his feet. Landing on his right knee with his left foot still planted on the ground Sun jabbed forward with his staff forcing Scarlet back a few paces and buying him the space he needed to regain his stance and transform his weapon to its 'gun-chuck' form. Lunging forward he began the intricate dance of swinging his weapons in a well-practised pattern that allowed him to strike Scarlet with some swings and fire the gun at him with others.

Fortunately for Scarlet he was fast enough to out of direct fire, even if his elbows and shoulders were occasionally being nicked by the sparks from Sun's training rounds. He was giving as good as he was getting swinging his sword in answer to every strike Sun made on his right and blocking well with his pistol on the right. He was firing one shot for every three or four that Sun was managing, which was pretty impressive considering he had one quarter the gun barrels and a slower gun to begin with. In a normal fight he would make up for this speed deficit with power, his pistol really packed an impressive punch, but in training the power was reduced for obvious reasons.

Neptune and Sage looked on from behind the blast guard as sparks showered the floor all around the ring. Scarlet appeared to be gaining the upper hand. Sun was swinging faster and firing more shots but Scarlet had better timing, firing only when there was a real chance at an opening in his opponents defence. Sun, starting to feel the effect of the accumulated shots he had been subjected to decided that a little space would help. Back flipping away from Scarlet as his sword came swinging through the space where a moment before they were trading blows he finally had the chance to breathe a little. It didn't last long however as right as he landed Scarlet got the better of him. Firing his grappling hook from the handle of his pistol Scarlet wrapped up Sun's feet.

Before he could get himself free Sun found himself face down on the canvas as Scarlet pulled the rope tight and yanked it toward the edge of the ring. Trying to get a grip on anything he could that would help Sun desperately reached for one set of his gun-chucks just out of reach. Before he could reach them Scarlet shot, hitting the gun-chuck and sending it flying out of the ring and skittering across the floor.

Rolling over to face his opponent Sun conceded he had lost the match. "I Give. You win." He sighed.

Scarlet didn't even say anything, he just smiled smugly and left Sun lying in the ring to untie himself.

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update this week. Work has been mental and then the file format of this story was acting weird and not letting me upload. It's all good now though, enjoy.**


	17. Pyrrha in Hamilton

**RWBY goes Broadway #1**

 **Death/Memory motif from Hamilton**

 ** _Pyrrha_**

I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory,

When will it get me? In my sleep? A beowolf ahead of me?

If I see it coming will I run or will I let it be?

Is it like a beat without a melody?

I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory,

Is this where it gets me? On my feet, several feet ahead of me?

If this is the end of me, at least I have my friends with me, my weapon in my hand, a plan, and a destiny.

I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory,

This is where it gets me, on my knees, an enemy ahead of me.

I can see it coming, I can't run, she has bested me.

There is no beat, no melody.

Jaune, my first friend, my everything,

I wish you were the last face I ever see.

I threw away my shot, but how will you remember me?

Is this arrow to be my legacy? Legacy.

What is a legacy?

It's planting flowers in a garden you never get to see.

I wrote some notes at the start of a song you will sing for me.

Destiny, you great unyielding symphony, you sent for me,

You let me make a difference.

A way for even children to leave their fingerprints and rise up.

Rise up! I'm running out of time. I'm running and my times up!

Times up, wise up.

Eyes up!

I catch a glimpse of the other side,

Amber leads a maiden chorus on the other side.

Penny is watching me from the other side,

Teach me how to say goodbye.

Jaune, my love, take your time,

I'll see you on the other side.

Raise your voice in freedom…

 **A/N: In honour of the Tony awards this past weekend and the one musical that keeps playing on a loop in my head. I actually wrote this a while ago but in light of everything that happened last weekend I thought I should post it.**


	18. Riding Lesson

**Riding Lesson**

"C'mon Blake it'll be fine."

"You can't know that. What if I crash?"

"You won't crash, I'll be right here with you. Besides you wanted to learn."

"I was thinking like a proper lesson. Not a ride-along."

"Doing something is the best lesson. Stop being a baby, put on your helmet."

Blake finally relented and put on her helmet. Climbing onto the motorbike behind Yang she was terrified of having to be in control of it soon. For now she wanted to pay close attention to everything Yang was saying so she would know what to do when it was her turn. That was made difficult by the fact she would be hanging onto Yang for dear life for most of the 'lesson'. And for the not terrifying parts of it she would no doubt be enjoying just holding her girlfriend on this warm sunny day.

Yang was giving her a rundown of how to start the bike up. She was trying her best to pay attention instead of focussing on how amazing Yang's hair smelled. It was not an easy thing to do. About the time the bike roared to life she realised she had zoned out into her own world for a few seconds. That was ok though, starting a bike wasn't rocket science. She could figure it out fast enough. This was the part she really needed to pay attention to though. Everything from now on would be important.

Yang slowly put the bike in gear explaining what she was doing and how much pressure Blake would have to put on the shifter. She followed all of that. She payed very close attention to how hard Yang hit the throttle (not very hard at all) and how fast she let off the brakes (also slowly) to get them going. She watched carefully how fast they went on the winding side streets near the club Yang had left her bike last night. She tried to see how far over the speed limit they went on the main roads. But she was too scared to lean too far forward in case she lost her balance.

She watched the distance Yang would leave between them and the cars on the road, it seemed fine at lower speeds but higher speeds made it terrifying. Blake was sure Yang couldn't see half of the cars out in front of her because if she could there should be no way she would drive that close. Deep down, not even that deep to be honest, Blake really knew that it was just Yang's reckless nature that let her drive so close to other traffic going so fast.

When they got into higher traffic areas of downtown Vale Blake's combination of terror and attentiveness died down. It was replaced by a different combination. She was confident she could ride the bike in this kind of traffic. Even if she didn't really know what she was doing or found the wrong gear at first, traffic was light enough or moving slowly enough that she could deal with it. But aside from the confidence the other thing she was feeling was distracted again. Now that the terror had subsided and they were moving along at a nice steady speed she was suddenly very conscious of the smell of Yang's hair surrounding her.

And now that she didn't think they were going to plough into the side of every car when they changed lanes she noticed something she hadn't before. When she was so focused on remembering the mechanics of using the machine she hadn't noticed the way Yang's muscles flexed as she shifted her weight to dip the bike into a turn. It started with her shoulders, they tensed ever so slightly right in front of Blake's face. Then her abs tightened. Blake could feel the muscle flexing under her hands where she was holding on to her girlfriend for safety. Yang had always had great abs, she needed a lot of core strength for her fighting style. They were one of Blake's favourite features on Yang. Even hanging on for dear life she couldn't help but notice how toned and perfect they were. Her mind drifted to a faraway place as her hands started tracing a path over Yang's midriff. She didn't know how long she had been doing that stroking motion when she finally realised where she was but she didn't recognise the street they were on, so they had had at least enough time to turn more than once. She couldn't see Yang's face but she was sure she was smirking.

Finally as Yang turned one last corner Blake noticed how much her thighs tensed to pull the bike in the direction she wanted it to go. Blake knew she was tightening her grip on Yang, and she knew that Yang would know why, and it wasn't fear this time. It was all she could do to keep herself from openly drooling. There was no way she would be able to concentrate well enough not to crash the bike into something on the way back.

Both girls dismounted the motorbike to switch positions. Blake started to feel nervous about having to take control of the bike on the way back. Looking around she knew they were in a nice neighbourhood. Gorgeous old hardwood trees lined the street and all the cars parked by the roadside looked very expensive. Which would make it even worse when she inevitable scraped one of them with Yang's bike.

"Yang I can't drive back. I'll crash into something."

"You'll be fine. You're always fine." She added that last part with a sultry wink.

"Distracting me won't help. I can barely concentrate already." She barely managed to say as she stared at Yang stretching her arms up over her head, which pushed her chest out right at Blake.

Noticing her girlfriend stare Yang just smirked and replied, "Then we'll just have to clear your mind then won't we".

"We can't do that here." Blake scolded.

"Sure we can." Yang responded, pointing up the steps of the townhouse they were in front of and dangling a key on a snowflake shaped keychain.

"Is that Weiss' secret getaway?" Blake asked in disbelief pointing a finger at the key in Yang's hand.

"No, this is a key. _That's_ Weiss' secret place." She replied pointing at the handsome building in front of them.

"How did you convince her to tell you where it is, never mind get the key off her?"

"I'll tell you later, first we should go inside and 'clear your mind' so you can drive us home in one piece. Tomorrow."

Grabbing Blake's hand she led her up the steps and through the front door.

 **A/N: No your eyes don't deceive you, there really are two entendres in the title. I really like this but I have decided I will not be doing smut in this series. If you would like to see something a little more risqué let me know and I may do a story that goes that way.**

 **This will be the last update for a few weeks. Probably till August as I am very busy with work and working on a different, long form writing project. I hope you enjoyed our first run and stick around for more in future. Thank You.**


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